Asterix and the Big Fight

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Asterix and the Big Fight (French: Le Combat des chefs) was the seventh Asterix book. It first appered in serial form in Pilote (issues 261-302) in 1964 and in book form in 1966. In Pilote issue 260, a comic featuring Chief Vitalstatistix at a press conference announcing that he will be playing an important role in the new story in the next issue. In 1989, an animated film of the same name was released, but this film was more of an adaptation of Asterix and the Soothsayer, the only thing adapted from the book's namesake was the sub-plot about Getafix having amnesia. One of the things lacking in the previous books had been character development. Indeed, Vitalstatistix who had been described as one of the main characters in the "A few of the Gauls" page at the start of each book, had been merely cameoing. One of the great things about this book was that we were able to find out more about Vitalstatistix's personality and his inclusion as a major character added a new dynamic to this book.

Another great part of the book is the humour. A page and a half is devoted to making puns about Infirmofpurpus' disguise as a tree to hilarious effect. The gags involving Obelix's attempts to cure the Druid show great comic timing on the part of the authors. In the part where Pschoanalytix's nurse introduces the conditions of his patients to Asterix and Obelix, there is one whom she said nobody knows who he thinks he is but he is behaving like one of the Gauls' famous descendant, Napoléon Bonaparte.